In my previous blog I have talked about my design of the Altar of the Twelve Gods using a cactus pot.
Now I will now share my quick ritual ( and orthopraxic ) to honor the Twelve Gods. This is quick in that it can be done in under ten minutes and thus can be done on at the very least a weekly basis and possibly a daily basis ( unless you are like me and spend less time at home, more time at work ). I myself now honor the Twelve Gods plus Hestia using this method on a twice to three times a week basis.
Note this ritual is incense free ever since my sister dutifully cleaned up my cabinet when she came visiting over a fortnight ago and has stored the incense ( along with a lot of my other stuff ) somewhere in the storeroom!! The place where she says she puts the incense has no incense so she will have to find it for me next week when she comes up.
Which may have been a blessing in disguise as my ritual had to evolve and thus can be done by people who cannot light incense either due to medical reasons or due to social restrictions.
Anyway, here goes.
What you need is:-
1. Your altar to the Twelve Gods ( or you can just do this ritual outdoor and libate to the gound. The ancient Greeks did not necessarily require an altar to honor the Gods though it is preferable )
2. A tea candle, white
3. A jug of very clean water, preferably in a clear glass jug ( you will see why )
4. About 200-300ml of wine, then dilute it in half with water .. watered wine was the convention in ancient Greece. Put it in a pitcher or a jug that can hold more than 500ml of fluid.
( Alternatively you can use coffee or tea or milk or anything that you like drinking but for this ritual I like using wine though I have done it once with coffee and tea )
5. A wine glass ( or a cup )
First put the tea candle in the center of the circular altar ( found in my blog on the Altar to the Twelve Gods ). That portion is sacred to Hestia and is the place where all offering goes. Then bless the candle saying, “Oh Hestia, daughter of Kronos and sister to Almighty Zeus, oh Goddess who tends to the sacred flames of Olympus, hear my prayers. Please accept this offering of light. May you oh Lady of the Hearth bless this ritual. Thank you” and as you say this light the candle.
With this say “Hekas, Hekas, Este Bebeloi” ( translated as let the profane ones depart ).
Then raise your jug over the flame then say, “Oh Hestia, please purify this water through your sacred flame.”
( Watch the light of the flame through the water momentarily)
Then now pour the water in a clockwise direction around the altar, letting it cleanse the altar saying, “Oh Gods, bless this altar.”
Now this is done, now for the offering.
My ritual now goes ( please personalize this, this ritual is only relevant to me )
( Note remember to look skyward first as you pray, pour the wine into the glass looking skyward then offer the wine skyward, then look down, focus on the stone that symbolizes the God and offer the wine into the central altar. Note what I do is walk around the altar so that I am on the side of the stone corresponding to the God. The only exception is Hestia where I start off at Zeus and end at Dionysius )
“Oh Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, Goddess of Families, You who tend to the Sacred Flame, Hail to you. As decreed by almighty Zeus to you goes to the first of offerings. Thank you for watching over my family and my home. May you continue to watch over my family and my home. Please accept this offering of wine.” and while you say this pour the wine into the wine glass, then pour the wine from the wine glass into the altar. ( just make sure you do not put out the flame. I suggest aiming away from the center of the altar but if you follow my design you have about a 14-16 cm diameter center of the altar so plenty of space to aim )
Then this is followed by. ( look at the order of the stones on the altar to the Twelve Gods, move in a clockwise order )
“Oh Zeus, son of Kronos, brother and husband to Hera, King of the Gods, Lord of Heaven, please hear my prayers. Thank you for watching over my family, over my home, my job. Thank you for the hospitality shown to me by others. May you continue to watch over my job, my family and my home. Please accept this offering of wine.” ( after you say this do as you did previously, pour wine into the wine glass then libate onto the altar.)
( Now move alongside to the Hera stone )
“Oh Hera, daughter of Kronos, sister to Zeus, Goddess of Marriage, Queen of Heaven, hear my prayers. Thank you for keeping the marriage of my parents intact. Please if I am worthy grant me a stable marriage in the future ( or if you are married then be thankful for the marriage ). May you continue to show your grace on my family. Please accept this offering of wine.”
“Oh Poseidon, son of Kronos, brother to Zeus, Lord of the Seas, Earthshaker, thank you for watching over me as I travel over your waters daily. Thank you for keeping me safe as I surf. Thank you for keeping my house and home safe. To you do I thank. Please accept this offering of wine.”
“Oh Demeter, daughter of Rhea, sister to Zeus, mother of Persephone, hail to you Bountiful Goddess, hail to you Lady of the Mysteries, thank you for continuing to provide the bountiful harvest in my garden. Thank you for keeping my tables and pantry filled with food. Please help in providing the bounty for the next season. Thank you, and may this offering of wine be worthy to you.”
“Oh greetings to you Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto, Hail to you leader of the Muses, Hail to you Lord of All Physicians, I thank you for giving me the oppurtunity to be better in my job daily. I thank you for providing me inspiration in my work daily. Please continue to make me better in my craft daily. Great Physician, please accept this offering of wine.”
“Oh Lady Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto, hail to you Goddess of the Forest, Lady of the Hunt, hail to you Strong One, I thank you for granting me the healthines of my body, I thank you for the wonders of the forest and the animals. Please continue to grant me health and let me continue to partake in your wonders. Thnak you and please accept this offering of wine.”
“Oh to you Hephaestos, son of Zeus and Hera, hail to you Lord of Craft, the Skillful One, without you many things that I take for granted would not be in existance. I thank you for all these. Lord of Engineers, please accept this offering of wine.”
“To you Aphrodite, oh Hail to you daughter of Dione, Heavenly One, Goddess of Love, oh Lady who bring people together, I thank you for bringing so many people into my life. I thank you for the love in my life, I thank you for the friends in my life. Please continue to grant your blessings in my life. Oh Goddess, please accept this offering of wine.”
“To you Ares, son of Zeus and Hera, Lord of Conflict, Lord of War. We face conflict daily in our life. I thank you for giving me the strength and courage to stand up to those conflicts. Please continue to give me strength to deal with my daily battles. Please accept this offering of wine.”
“Oh Athena, daughter of Zeus, oh Virgin Lady, Goddess of Strategy, Lady of Tactics, hear my prayers. Thank you for teaching me to face my daily conflicts and battle through planning and through strategy. Please continue to make me better at this. Please accept this offering of wine.”
“Oh Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia, Dotor Eaon ( bearer of good things ), Eriounes ( Luck bringer ), Angelos Akhanaton ( Messenger of the Deathless Gods ), Polytropos ( the Wily One ), Diaktoros ( the Guide ), Poneomenus ( oh busy one ), oh friend of Man. Hermes, thank you for so many things in my life. Thank you for bringng so much good things in my life, thank you for the friends in my life, thank you for teaching me to use my wit, to use my speech, thank you for guiding me, thank you for bringing me into Hellenismos, thank you for so many things. Please continue to let me have better use of my wit and use of my speech. May this glass of wine oh Hermes be worthy of you!!”
“Oh Dionysius, son of Zeus and Semele, God of Change, God of Wine, hear my prayers you who help man exceed their limitation. Thank you for providing me the ability to change in my life. May you continue to help me exceed my limitations. Please accept this offering of wine.”
“Oh Hestia, Daughter of Rhea, Lady of the Sacred Flames. As to you go the first offering, so to you goes the last. Thank you for blessing this ritual. Please accept this final offering of wine, may it be worthy to you.”
Then blow out the candle .. the ritual is over.
Drink the remainder of the wine in the jar if there is any left .. offering in Hellenismos is about sharing.
